Second Thoughts
by Absolute7
Summary: Human AU, oneshot. Eighteen year old Connie Maheshewaran has recently entered into a relationship with her high school teach Pearl Crystal. Has the young woman made the right choice, or a terrible mistake?


**A/N:**

 **So, this is something entirely different than what I normally write. I just thought a change of pace would be fun, so I made a little oneshot. Enjoy!**

She's so beautiful... Connie knew she should be focusing on the board behind the current object of her concentration, after all, the final science class of grade twelve before exams was nothing to waste time on, but... I can't take my eyes off her, the way the light shines off her skin, or the graceful way she moves, like she's floating across the ground, barely touching it. The woman in question turned towards the dark haired girl, her soft blue eyes catching Connie's dark brown and holding them. She winked. Connie hid her blushing face in the science textbook in front of her.

"Connie, do you have the answer?" The words rolled off her tongue like she was savoring each syllable.

"I-I'm sorry Pea- I mean Ms. Crystal, I didn't catch the question." The mistake caused the young woman's blush to deepen.

Her teacher tutted disapprovingly, yet the small smile that graced her thin lips before she turned back to the board betrayed what the older woman really thought. She knows I was looking... I'm never going to hear the end of this. There were already snickers coming from those sitting nearest to Connie.

The joke ended quickly, as the bell rang out through the halls. "That's all for today, make sure to study hard everyone, I don't want to see any of you in my class again next year. That means you Peedee." The blonde teen responded with something about work, but Connie wasn't paying attention. "And you, Ms. Maheshewaran." She looked up to see Pearl was watching her, the faint smile still on her face. "Stay after class, we need to talk."

"Y-yes Miss." Connie nervously adjusted her glasses before she returned to putting her notebooks and textbook back into her bag.

Only once all of the other students had filtered out of the classroom could Connie bring herself to look up at Pearl, who was sitting on the desk beside her, legs crossed and leaning back, obviously meant to bring attention to her chest. She's such a horrible tease.

"So Connie, can you stop by my place tonight, maybe stay over?"

"I... I think I can probably tell my parents I'm staying at a friends house. They barely even care anymore, but..." Connie was the one teasing Pearl now, "why do you ask, Ms. Crystal?" Her shy expression spread into a mischievous grin.

"Well, my roommates are out of town for the weekend, and Steven is at his father's until tomorrow evening." She got down off the desk and stood next to Connie. "Also." she gently plucked the glasses from her students face before pulling her in for a sudden kiss; the kind that left both of them breathless and with a faint red tinge to their cheeks. "You play this game too well sometimes."

Connie put a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. "And you don't play it well enough. Your door is still open." Pearl shot straight up, stammering incoherently as she went to close it.

She attempted to regain her composure after the lock clicked. "Regardless, are we on for tonight?"

"Well I wouldn't want to disappoint my teacher, would I?"

"Oh, save it, you. Now get moving!" Pearl gave her a push towards the door, and Connie was off to her last period class.

* * *

Connie had been right about her parents not caring anymore, ever since she had been accepted to Empire City University earlier that year they hadn't cared what she did in her spare time. That was alright with Connie, the less they knew about what she did in her spare time, the better.

"Oh Connie, come on in, I'm just making us dinner." Pearl gave the younger woman a quick kiss before guiding her over to the table. "The food will only be a little bit longer."

Connie gave her lover a squeeze before letting her get back to the kitchen. "Thanks Pearl. What's the plan for tonight?"

"I thought we'd just stay here, watch a movie, drink some wine."

Connie snickered. "You know I'm underage, right?"

The red haired woman smiled slightly as she brought their meals over. "That never stopped me before."

Connie felt heat rise up in her cheeks. She always knows just what'll make me squirm. I swear she's the devil sometimes.

"Oh, and you have to let me do something with your hair later." Pearl took a handful of Connie's long curls in her hands and buried her face in them, just like she always did. Pearl had a thing for curly hair, and that was just fine with Connie.

The two of them ate their dinner in relative silence, it was all salad, like usual; Pearl never ate meat if she could help it.

After dinner the two of them curled up on the couch to watch something foreign and artsy. Pearl loved the movies for their beauty, Connie for whatever social message they carried. Pearl spent the movie braiding her lover's hair whilst sipping from a glass of wine. Afterwards they retreated to the older woman's room. Both of them got into their pajamas and laid on the bed, wrapped in each others arms.

"You know Connie, I saw you watching me in class today." Pearl smiled derisively as she got up on her elbow to look down at the dark haired girl.

A deep blush overtook Connie's face. "Y-yeah, and?" She hid her face in the blankets.

"Whyever were you watching me like that?" She started tracing her finger across Connie's back, creating intricate designs. This sent shivers up and down the Indian girl's back and a grin of pleasure to her face. Pearl might be the devil, but at least she's my devil.

It took no small effort for Connie to summon the will required to break from Pearl's touch and pull herself up on to of the surprised redhead. Pearl let out a gasp of surprise as her student pulled her into a passionate kiss, their lips connected and she closed her eyes to enjoy the full sensation of it.

Connie released Pearl, letting her fall back onto the bed. "I was watching you, because I was wanting to do that."

"I can see why." Now it was Pearl's turn to act first. She rolled Connie over and quickly got on top. She then began to plant kisses from the tip of her lover's fingers all the way to her lips. When her kisses got to their final destination it felt as though an eternity had gone by. Afterwards neither of them could handle waiting any longer, so they quickly undressed one another and began to explore each other's bodies, rediscovering things they knew so well; the gentle curve of the back, the scent of hair, the softness and taste of skin, and anything they could get their hands on.

Oh, this is perfect. I love this, I love her, I love- "Rose." It had just been a whisper, but to Connie, Pearl might as well have shouted it. She pulled out of their embrace suddenly.

"What did you say?"

Pearl was shocked. "I said, I said Connie... didn't I?"

The heat that had been filling the young woman's body was swiftly replaced by a ball of ice in the pit of her stomach. "No, no you didn't." Pearl put a hand to her mouth, just now grasping exactly what had happened.

"I said... Rose..."

Connie simply nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Connie, I'm sorry... I just..." She let the sentence hang there, unable to finish it.

"Pearl," they both brought their heads up to look into each others eyes, "I love you, I know I do, I feel it, but you..."

The older woman pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "You remind me of her, in your passion. She cared as much for our world as you do, but also in how you make me feel... feel like my heart is going to burst right out of my chest." She turned her face away from Connie. "You're going to leave me, just like she did."

"What?!" Connie moved next to Pearl on the bed and put an arm around her. "That's not true."

Pearl wiped a tear from her pale cheek. "You're off to Empire City in just a little while now. Who knows when you'll be back." She laid her head on Connie's lap and kept speaking. "Connie, you're still young, who knows where life will take you. Me, I'm forty next month, this is the rest of my life, Beach City."

Connie stroked her lover's short hair and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Pearl, I'm going to come back."

"You say that now, but I bet you'll find something better before then. God Connie, I'll be over sixty by the time you're my age." She let out a short pained laugh.

"Pearl, I know, and I don't care." She pulled her back up so they were sitting side by side. "I love you." She kissed her deeply, trying to make Pearl understand.

"I never wanted this to get serious. I just wanted to have some fun for once." Pearl stroked the younger woman's cheek softly, smiling as she did so. "I guess I even take my fun too seriously." She laughed, happily this time, and pulled Connie into a very tight hug. "I love you too Connie, thank you."

"I knew you did, you just needed some convincing." They both smiled before going in for another kiss. "Now, what do you say we skip the rest for tonight and get some sleep?"

Pearl wiped the last tear off her face before responding. "Sure, we'll pick back up tomorrow."

The two of them settled into the bed in each others arms, Pearl dozed off quickly, but Connie just couldn't seem to quiet her mind. She loves me, but she still isn't over Rose... It's been eighteen years... What if she never really moves on? Pearl rolled over half onto Connie, bringing her out of her brooding. She gently stroked the older woman's hair, and in doing so, noticed a few stray grey strands that deviated from the light red norm. Connie gulped down the knot of anxiety forming in her throat, and hoped that she had chosen the right person to fall in love with.


End file.
